How to Manage Natural Curls

From this article, you will learn how to manage your natural curls and embrace the beauty of your hair!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Products like-
• Leave-in conditioner
• A light gel
• A soft, light mousse
• Hair serum
• And finally, heat protection spray (if you straighten your curls)

1. 
    
   Tresemme Conditioner

   The first step is to wash your curly hair. You actually only need to wash your curls at MOST every other day. Shampoos strip your scalp of its natural oils which are vital to curls.
   With that being said, on days which you do not wash your hair, condition the hair and scalp with a moisturizing conditioner.
   I recommend this inexpensive conditioner by Tresemme \
   When conditioning your hair and scalp, massage the scalp with your fingertips not your nails.

2. 
    
   Redken All Soft Velvet Whip

   Rinse out the conditioner. With curly hair, you actually do not have to rinse your conditioner out all the way. You can really never over moisturize curly locks which tend to be quite dry.
   If you do wash out the entire conditioner, put a leave-in conditioner on your hair. I recommend Herbal Essences Long term relationship leave-in conditioner (http://well.ca/images/large/products/herbal-essences-none-of-your-fri_1212785922_LRG.jpg)
   After I do this to my curls, I also add a more expensive product by Redken called "All Soft Velvet Whip". It smells amazing!
   This product is around $16 at WalMart. You won't find it in the regular hair aisle. This product is available at the local Wal-Mart salon.
   These conditioning products are vital to the curls while your locks are wet because these products lock in moisture and protect against nature's elements.
   If you can afford them, salon products will never let you down! You can have the salon feel every day from your own home :)

3. 
    
   Microfiber towel

   Blot dry hair with a microfiber towel or an old t-shirt. NEVER use a regular terry cloth towel. These towels are far too harsh on curly locks, especially when hair is wet because it is more prone to damage while it is wet.

4. 
    
   Garnier Fructis Spray Gel

   Once you have blotted out the excess moisture, spray a light gel in. I recommend Garnier Fructis Curl Shaping Spray Gel.
   The great thing about spray gel is you don't have to touch the curls. Touching your curls only promotes frizz.

5. 
    
   Citre Shine Serum

   After spraying in your gel, apply a hair serum to your hair. You can do this when the hair is still damp. With serum, all you need is a penny-size amount or even less depending on the length of your hair. Overusing this product causes the hair to appear greasy.
   Serum is a wonderful product because it promotes shine and it also helps protect the hair cuticle.
   I recommend Citre Shine...it smells wonderful.

6. 
    
   Tresemme No Frizz Shine Spray

   Finally, you can air dry or blow dry your hair.
   Personally, I shower in the evening and let my hair air dry before I go to bed. This process is usually two to three hours. Curly locks are prone to split ends and damage so keep them from heat as much as you can.
   If you're in a hurry, however, and you feel you must blow dry your hair then don't blow dry it all the way and you must use a diffuser. I recommend letting it air dry for 25 minutes or so then blow dry it about 70% and let your curls air dry after that.
   Do not touch your hair while blow drying this only causes frizz.
   If your hair appears a little more frizzy than you'd like after you have blow dried it, then you can reapply the serum or the leave in conditioner.
   Finish with a shine spray and your done! I recommend Tresemme No Frizz Shine Spray

Tips & Warnings

• REMEMBER
• Air dry when you can! This is a vacation for your hair. This is a great way to give your curly locks a break. I have found that after a month of no heat application to my hair...my curls are much shinier and bouncier than ever! A little sacrifice goes a long way!
• Moisturize!! Leave-in conditioners and conditioning your hair are a must every day! Rinse with cool water if you can stand it to make hair dry shinier.

[TheRealMcCoy]

on 7/27/2009 Great tips,

I also recommend tresemme in my article "How to Manage Black Hair"